Mauritius… The Beautiful Island Country of Africa

At first glance, Mauritius looks like a close relative of the Caribbean Islands. Around 1,200 miles from the east coast of Africa, the island is hemmed by 330 kilometres of immaculate white beaches. Take to the waters, meanwhile, and you’ll spot pods of dolphins playing. The south, west and east coasts are defined by beaches that wouldn’t look out of place in Aruba, while in the north, shallow bays give themselves over to watersports like wind and kite-surfing.Mauritius is known for its beaches, lagoons and reefs. The mountainous interior includes Black River Gorges National Park, with rainforests, waterfalls, hiking trails and wildlife like the flying fox. Capital Port Louis has sites such as the Champs de Mars horse track, Eureka plantation house and 18th-century Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Gardens.Mauritius has a trove of naturel history. The 800 metre high mountains and forests in the interior are home to some of the world’s rarest animals. The island is also ring-fenced by one of the largest unbroked barrier reefs in the world, so the scuba diving opportunites are on a par with the maldives. In the 600 years since mauritius was first discovered, the island has been a cultural sponge. its proximity to madagascar has rubbed off on it in the form of creole cooking. Grand Baie, close to Grand Gaube in the north is the culinary capital of the island. and the island;s time under french rule has added chateaus to its architectural assets, including the chateaux de labourdonnsid in the northern mauritiud.